The End is Never as Bad as It Seems
by HappyBunny1
Summary: An eighteen year old girl, Josephine, survives Captain Trips. She then goes out on her own little joyride, not caring about the stand that is about to take place between good and evil. But what effect will she have on this world plagued by disaster?
1. June 20 The Session

Author's Note: Rated for bad language... I read the book "The Stand" and I've also seen the movie (both being very good) and thus I was inspired. Scary thought, huh? But please just read and review. :-)  
  
Summary: An eighteen year old girl, Josephine, survives Captain Trips. She then goes out on her own little joyride, not caring about the stand that is about to take place between good and evil. But what effect will she have on this world plagued by disaster and chaos?  
  
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with "The Stand" or Stephen King... although I wish I had outstanding talent like he has.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The End is Never as Bad as It Seems  
  
Chapter 1: June 20- The Session  
  
Josephine sat on the small cusiony blue chair and fidgeted with the hem of her black shirt. She knew everyone was there but she didn't really see them. Her mind had quietly slipped away from reality, leaving its chaotic messiness to be dealt with by anyone but her.  
  
"Josephine?"  
  
The voice was there, but to her it was nothing but a distant echo that, in a moment or two, would disappear.  
  
"Josephine, are you listening?"  
  
No, I'm not listening, she thought to herself. Well, actually, she had to be listening to something if she heard that, so she wasn't completely in her own dazed world. She would zone out sometimes when she was sitting in that circle with those five other people who would go on and on about how they were cut off on the highway earlier that day. Josephine always had trouble listening to people complain. It wasn't a strong point of hers.  
  
"Josephine!!"  
  
There it is again, she thought, that annoying voice. Can't that woman just shut up already? She would give anything to just be able to snap her fingers and make the voice disappear.  
  
A woman's hand lightly touched her shoulder, pulling her out of whatever semi-dream world she had been in.  
  
"Don't fuckin' touch me." Josephine, who had been in a foul mood all day, said as she looked up and swatted the hand away like it was a fly. The blond woman next to Josephine recoiled her hand and looked to the glasses- wearing, clipboard-holding, brunette who sat across from them.  
  
"Josephine, don't use that language here. You know it's not permitted." The brunette said as she shifted in her seat.  
  
"Whatever, Nancy. And for God's sake, if you're going to call me by my first name, please call me Joey." Josephine said in annoyance. Along with complaining, she really disliked being called by her full first name.  
  
"Please... Joey..." the woman said awkwardly, "I told you to call me Mrs. Andrews. And this is a group therapy session. And you're part of this group, so please participate and don't just doze off into your own little daydream." Mrs. Andrews spoke softly even though she was completely irritated and fed up with all of Josephine's games that she had played in the past month. The woman didn't like Josephine too much but no one could ever tell... The woman made a good therapist. She analyzed emotions as a career, so shouldn't she be good at hiding them?  
  
One of the people in the circle coughed loudly.  
  
That's when Josephine looked around at the others, including Mrs. Andrews, who were, by now, all staring at her. And she stared right back.  
  
First in the drama-filled circle was Mrs. Andrews, the therapist. Josephine swore she was the lost twin of Julia Roberts, but Josephine thought she was evil anyway. Josephine hated when she would try to dig deeper into her thoughts and probe her subconscious. And she hated how Mrs. Andrews would question her on every word she would say. It made Josephine feel less than human and sometimes embarrassed.  
  
To the right of Mrs. Andrews was Soccer-Mom-of-the-Year, Mrs. Pegman. She was a lanky brunette with short choppy hair that stuck out in all directions. Josephine wondered if her rich husband ever cheated on her because she was so consumed with her own world and well-being. She was a soccer coach and her two small children, Matilda and Freddy, were the epitome of brattiness, taken after their mother, of course. Mrs. Pegman once commented on hurting her two children and when asked why her answer was because they were horrible children and they deserved it. Mrs. Andrews was quite shocked and Mrs. Pegman rarely mentioned her kids after that.  
  
Then there was Mr. Dougly. He was an old black man in his mid fifties. He was a kind, soft-spoken man who rarely talked, but when he did, it was usually about his dead wife who died on their honeymoon. Everyone guessed that was why he was there, to get over the loss of his wife who died over thirty years ago.  
  
Next to Mr. Dougly was Jack. Josephine couldn't remember his last name. It was too long. He was a spoiled, twenty year old, momma's boy who constantly mooched off his rich parents. Josephine had to admit he was handsome, but he was conceited to such a degree that it made her sick to her stomach. He would constantly brag about women he had been with. Josephine wasn't quite sure why he was even in that place. He seemed like a normal man other than the fact that he truly believed the world revolved around him. Josephine swore she would one day find out why he was around.  
  
And then came, yours truly, Josephine. She had deep red hair that was always pulled back in a pony tail and she was short for being eighteen. Only five foot three. Her neglectful parents were filthy rich yet she took pleasure in looting people's garages and cars. Not to mention she was so good at shoplifting that some store owners watched out for her and she was a pick-pocket. To sum it all up, she was a kleptomaniac. But even though she could be cynical, sarcastic and sometimes evil, she was still a human being and generally treated people the way she would want to be treated... on her good days, that is.  
  
To the right of Josephine was twenty-five year old Wendy Eberly, she was the bulimic of the group. She was once a shapely, pretty blonde until, one time in high school, someone called her fat. She took it to heart and then began to eat poorly and induce vomiting. Finally, when she passed out on her bathroom floor from lack of food, her parents took her to see a doctor which then led her to being part of, what Josephine called, "this fucked up Brady Bunch" (she got kicked out of the group one day for saying that one). Even in her state, Wendy still had her pride and she was still had her greatest asset of all: her intelligence. She was always a bright girl who had a wonderful future ahead of her.  
  
And finally there was Hector Davis, whom Josephine called "Hec" for short. He was a muscular, nice construction worker but he was in group therapy, so he must have had some kind of problem, and he did. Several years back he caught his wife cheating on him with his own brother. After she left him, he went into a deep depression and thought he wasn't good enough for the world. He even tried to commit suicide on several occasions. And since then, he had become part of the group. Josephine liked him a lot. He was kind of like a gentle giant.  
  
"Would you all stop staring at me." Josephine said. They all looked away and then focused on Mrs. Andrews who always directed the topic of conversation.  
  
Mr. Dougly sneezed into the handkerchief he was holding and Wendy coughed. She had been coughing intermittently throughout the entire session.  
  
Josephine looked out the window to a telephone line near by. She would've turned her attention back to the group, except a crow had caught her attention. It stared right at her. It's beady eyes bore right into her and she couldn't look away. She had seen more than one crow in her lifetime, but this time something felt... different. Odd.  
  
"Well," Mrs. Andrews said, clearing her throat and catching Josephine's attention, "time is up for today. And besides you all should go home now and get some rest. Seems like a few of you have that nasty flu bug that's going around. See you all Thursday." It was Tuesday. She would have to go to therapy three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Josephine never understood why the schedule was the way it was.  
  
Josephine glanced out the window again only to find that the black bird was gone.  
  
Everyone got up and went their separate ways. Except for Josephine. Mrs. Andrews held her back, saying that she needed to talk to her.  
  
"Next time, Ms. Kenndler, I expect you to participate." Mrs. Andrews said firmly but then she saw Josephine roll her eyes in annoyance and the woman's glare softened a bit. "Or at least listen to the others. Please."  
  
"I do listen. Just not as much as you would hope. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going home." And with that, Josephine walked away from the woman, completely unknowing that the few times people coughed and sneezed that day they were spreading the germs of the deadly superflu to everyone but her...  
  
*~*~*  
  
Author's Note: I'll update this when I can since I have other stories I'm working on as well. And if anything, anything at all, is ever off or wrong, let me know and it will be corrected. Review!! Please? 


	2. June 20 Home

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I never expected to get one review let alone two. Wow, that sounded really sad... Anywho, please review and tell me what you think or if anything is wrong. I'm trying to make this as much like the movie (and perhaps book) as I can.  
  
Dawnie-7: Oh my God, you're the greatest!! "Liz": Glad you got my email and I'm happy you like my story so far! MorbidMan: Happy you like!! And yes, I certainly plan on continuing because I've always wanted to do fanfiction about "The Stand".  
  
*~*~*  
  
Chapter 2: June 20- Home  
  
Josephine walked out of the building and onto the Cleveland streets. She shoved her hands into her short's pockets (after flipping up the flaps to them) and watched as the cars and people zoomed by, although there weren't as many as there were on other days and Josephine assumed that was because of the flu epidemic. But the ones who were in their cars and on the steets had somewhere to go and an agenda to keep but Joey simply took her time and enjoyed the feel of the warm, June sun on her legs.  
  
"Baby, can you dig yo man? He's a righteous man..." Josephine sang under her breath. She always liked that song.  
  
Josephine was completely capable of driving herself home. She got her drivers license at the allowed age but she had always preferred to walk home.  
  
"Oh... my God, ma'am, I am so sorry." Joey said as she bumped into the side of an older woman, no more than 50. "I wasn't watching where I was going."  
  
The woman looked at her and smiled. "It's alright sweetheart." she said as she continued to walk along.  
  
The two had then went on their separate ways. Sadly, the woman never realized that in the split second Josehpine had bumped her, she slipped into the woman's pocket and found a twenty dollar bill. Josephine looked at the bill, smirked wickedly, and shoved it into her own pocket.  
  
As I said before, Josephine was a pick-pocket and she was very good at what she did. She realized at a young age that people had always left everything from loose change to fifties in their pockets, even though they had wallets and purses. She knew she wasn't the only theif in the world so whenever she bought pants, she made sure they had buttonable flaps over each of the pockets and her purse... well, even she sometimes had trouble getting into it.  
  
She looked up at the clear blue sky as she walked along. It was only about 2 in the afternoon and the sun was bright and made everything seem so pleasant. The sky was amazingly blue and only a cloud or two floated lazily along. Josephine smiled and took a deep breath of the sweet air, well, as sweet as the air can get in Cleveland, Ohio. She was so used to the smells of everyday life in Cleveland that she didn't realize that anyone who wasn't from the city would be gagging considerably.  
  
On her way down the main street, Josephine passed by a row of stores. One store was very expensive and there was a pair of black boots, similar to combat boots, in the store window. She practically threw her body up against the window as she stared at the shoes with wide eyes. The shoes were over fifty dollars, but she didn't have that kind of money with her at the moment. All she had was the twenty.  
  
She frowned as she walked away.  
  
She could've gone around, stealing from others until she had enough money to buy the shoes, but that would take time. Time was something she didn't have since she had to be home before her parents got suspicious and just called the police, which they have done before.  
  
She walked by the other stores and as she passed the final store in the line, she saw a red tank top. She saw the price and she walked into the store to buy the shirt legitimately. Yes, that's right, she didn't steal it, but she did steal the money she used to buy the top. But in her book, that didn't count.  
  
*  
  
As she walked through the door to her house, she hid the bag with the shirt behind her back, trying to conceal it from her parents so they would be none the wiser when she wore it out. She headed straight for the stairs, which led to her bedroom.  
  
Too late. "Josephine Kenndler, what do you have?" an older woman's voice spoke out from beside the staircase. It was a perky voice but the way she always talked to Josephine made the teenager out to be only five.  
  
"I bought a shirt, ma." Josephine said, rolling her eyes. She was caught and now there was the possibility of a fight. She continued towards the stairs but this time not caring if the shirt was seen or not.  
  
"You stole it, didn't you?!?" the woman said as her voice went up a decibel or two. Mrs. Kenndler stood in the way of Josephine, right in front of the stairs.  
  
Josephine was getting irritated and she sighed. "No, ma, that's not what I said. I bought it. Really, I did." she said, sounding almost indifferent. Josephine slipped past her mom and continued up the stairs.  
  
She could hear her mom yelling from the living room. "Bob! Josephine's been going into those stores again! I think she stole something again!" her mother cried out to her father but then let out a loud, painful cough. Then there was a pause. "Bob?!? Are you even listening? I said our daughter is getting into trouble again!!"  
  
Her father coughed for a moment. "April, shut the hell up!!" he yelled back from the couch. "She's eighteen. She does whatever the hell she wants. She's an adult now and if she gets into trouble, then it's her goddamn problem. And besides, what do you want me to do about it? I'm sick as a fucking dog and I can barely move."  
  
"Fine, Bob. Fine." Mrs. Kenndler muttered before going back itno the kitchen. "When she's in jail, I'm not bailing her out."  
  
Josephine was, by now, in her little sister's room showing her the new shirt. "So, do you like?"  
  
"Yeah! Do I ever!! Can I wear it sometime?" a young brunette said while sitting with her big sister on a little pink bed. She had these radiant blue green eyes, just like her sister.  
  
"Ha ha. No, Kimmy. You're only nine and besides, it's a tank top, and a really small one at that. So not for a while yet." Josephine said as she stuffed the top back into the gray bag.  
  
"Awww. OK." Kimmy moaned before going back to her barbies.  
  
Josephine smiled as she walked out of the room and into her own. She loved Kimmy more than anyone else in the world. They were not only sisters, they were best friends. Josephine took care of Kimmy since her parents rarely did.  
  
The day went on as any other day would. Josephine isolated herself in her room and Kimmy would stop by every once in a while to show Josephine the new outfits that had been mixed and matched and then placed on her barbies.  
  
Once Josephine got bored with the TV show she was watching, she flipped to the evening news. All the were talking about was Captain Trips, the superflu. The newswoman was looking ill herself and she would cough sparatically. She said that there were reports that hospitals were filling up in the south and west of the U.S. and many of the people in them were dying. She also went on to say that the government and health officials were denying that the bug even existed. She said many people were getting sick. She went on reporting all of this for the entire news hour.  
  
Josephine sat there astonished. She knew people everywhere were getting sick, but she had no idea that many were dying. She slowly got up and turned off the TV and went downstairs. She peaked around the corner and saw her father lying there on the couch, bundled up in a blanket. He had been watching the evening news as well.  
  
"Wash up." April said coldly to her daughter as she looked at her from the kitchen. "And get your sister too. It's dinner time."  
  
Josephine looked at her mother and saw circles under her eyes. Josephine got the distinct impression that she was sick or was becoming sick. Without a word, Josephine got her sister.  
  
"C'mon Kimmy. Dinner." Josephine said as she left the girl's doorway. She walked down the hall and as she did so, she heard Kimmy sniffle and then sneeze. Josephine got a sinking feeling in her stomach as she washed her hands and sat down to eat.  
  
*  
  
Most of dinner was eaten in silence. And this time there were only three people at the table since her father could barely move. Mrs. Kenndler had served him dinner in the living room.  
  
"What are you going to do about that top, Josephine? You stole it, it's only right you return it." her mother said cruelly after too long of a silence.  
  
Josephine was becoming angry. "I told you I didn't steal it, ma!! I bought it like everyone else!" Josephine yelled.  
  
"Ok, honey, just like you bought that purse and those pants." April said before shoving another spoonful of mashed potatos into her mouth.  
  
"Go to hell, mom! I did nothing wrong!!" Josephine yelled once again. She got up from the table and stalked up to her room and slammed the door as hard as she could. She was being childish and she knew it.  
  
She flopped down onto her bed and glanced at her clock. It was eight in the evening. She never went to bed this early, but she was getting tired. She reached for the lamp on her bedside table and clicked it off. The darkness invaded her room and filled every crack. And it felt good. She enjoyed the comfort that the night gave her. Something like a smile slipped over her features as she drifted off into a restless sleep.  
  
*  
  
She found herself standing in a cornfield that stretched as far as the eye could see. Although, she couldn't really see that far because the corn was taller than she was. The color of everything, even the sky, was odd, too. She couldn't explain it.  
  
Faintly, in the distance, she heard singing. She was immediately pulled in the direction of the singing and it got louder and louder. It was an old woman's voice singing some sort of religious hymn. It was comforting, except for the fact that Josephine was atheistic. Josephine had lost her faith years ago, and this strange dream was making her question it even more.  
  
Josephine suddenly found herself standing at the edge of this cornfield, facing a small house. Sitting on the porch of this small house was a very old black woman strumming her guitar and singing. Josephine could feel this immense warmth radiating from this woman and she was attracted to it, so she walked forward. The woman didn't seem to notice Josephine at first.  
  
"Hello." Josephine said softly. She felt this great urge to simply be nice to this woman.  
  
The old woman stopped playing and singing, startled for a second. "My lord, child! Scared me half ta death!" she said softly. The old woman had been slouched over. There were great creases in her face and her gray hair was pulled back.  
  
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Josephine said.  
  
"My name's Abigail Freemantle. But folks in these parts just call me Mother Abigail. I'm one hundred n' six n' still make my own bread!" the old woman said.  
  
Josephine smiled at that. "Where is this?" she asked.  
  
"You're in Hemmingford, Nebraska, honey. You come see me, Josephine. You come see me 'afore He catches up with you!" Mother Abigail said, pointing to th corn behind Josephine.  
  
The sky suddenly got darker and a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Josephine whipped around to see burning red eyes staring out at her from the darkness of the corn.  
  
*  
  
Josephine sat up straight and stared around her pitch black room, eyes wide open. As the dream dissolved into reality, she heard, in the far distance of her mind, "You come see me, Josephine. You come see me, darlin'." Josephine felt comforted by the voice, but that still didn't stop her from searching for the demon that lurked in her dream even though he was no where to be found.  
  
She found herself to be breathing heavily and sweating. She kicked the light sheet down to her feet and after taking another glance around her dark room, she feel into another restless sleep, but this time it was dreamless as well.  
  
Just before she fell asleep, she heard her father cough. He was still on the couch.  
  
Unbeknownst to her, a bird, a crow to be exact, sat on the telephone line next to her window and watched her. It was a clear night and the bright moonlight reflected off of it's shiny feathers. The bird's onyx eyes peered in at her and then it flew away.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Author's Note: Whoa, I'm sorry people, but I've just realized that people in the north part of the U.S. didn't get really sick until two (eh, maybe three) days after the 20th of June. I would just like to speed things up because I have some whatnot planned for Josephine. Review!! 


	3. June 23,24 Taking Care of the Sick

Author's Note: I completely appologize for the late updates. Serious computer problems and horrifying end-of-the-year schoolwork (not to mention finals) have been holding me back. I'll continue updating whenever I can since I'm now on summer vacation.  
  
Some points in the chapters will even have some of my subtle, but corny, humor. And thanks for not throwing my cheescake back at me since I haven't been updating. That would've sucked.  
  
But thank you to my lovely reviewers. You make me smile with your happy reviews.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the revised chapter. I put it up a few days ago and a reviewer pointed out some things that needed to be fixed. So now this chapter should be a little bit... better.

* * *

Chapter 3: June 23/24- Taking Care of the Sick  
  
The 23rd was the day the riots started. Josephine watched the news carefully and saw that some desperate men and women were breaking into buildings downtown including office buildings, stores, and banks. The riots weren't very big and there weren't very many and the police suppressed them quickly.  
  
The 23rd was also the day the army came to town. They marched along the streets in their camoflauge uniforms with their large guns or drove around in their jeeps and tanks, intimidating people back into their homes.  
  
Josephine would flinch every once in while when she heard gun shots outside. She assumed that it was the army or police shooting down civilians who resisted them and their rules, which the TV news stations had been reporting on recently.  
  
Josephine never dared to walk outside, even onto her porch, for fear of being gunned down. And besides, she had other things to worry about. Her family was dying and she was the only truly healthy one in the house.  
  
She had been in the house taking care of them for days. She even missed her therapy session, although it didn't really matter much anymore since it seemed the whole of America was dying.

* * *

Josephine stood over the stove, quietly using a ladel to pour some soup into a small glass bowl that sat next to the pot. Her shoulders sagged slightly as if some kind of invisible burden or weight rested heavily on her shoulders.  
  
"Josephine, where the hell is that soup!?" her father yelled in between sparatic coughs from the living room.  
  
"It's coming dad, so shut up already!" When Josephine turned around, she looked ill herself. She had dark circles under her eyes and a pale face, all from lack of sleep, and she looked like she could fall over any minute.  
  
Josephine walked into the living room where her father was lying on the couch. He had been there for days. He had a cold before the 17th of June, before the superflu escaped, but just as everyone thought he was overcoming the worst of it, other people were getting sick and then... Mr. Kenndler just never got better. Not to mention he looked horrible. He was deathly pale and his neck was swelling to unnatural sizes. He looked like he was sweating horribly as well.  
  
"Here, dad." Josephine said quietly as she placed the soup on a small tray that sat on her father's lap. "It's chicken noodle."  
  
"About damn time." he mumbled as he grabbed the soup bowl and took a bite or two before slowly pushing it away. It was like he wasn't hungry. But Captain Trips can do that to you.  
  
Her father had been treating her like this for days and Josephine wasn't very appreciative of his cold, nasty attitude. "Ya know dad, it would be nice if I got a 'thank you' out of you every once in a while. Without me, I'm pretty sure you'd starve since the only time you gt off the couch is to go to the bathroom and even then you barely make it." Josephine said icily as she walked into the kitchen to get her mother a bowl of soup.  
  
If her father said anything or made any kind of witty comeback, she never noticed. She grabbed anothr bowl and spoon and poured some chicken noodle soup into the new bowl. She walked out of the kitchen and towards her parents bedroom where her mother, was, but she had to walk past the living room to get there.  
  
She glanced at her father as she walked by and he was glaring at her. If looks could kill, Josephine would have been dead a long time ago. Not that it mattered to her though. She would rather be dead than live through this everyday hell she called home.  
  
She ignored her father, figuring that he was being this way because he was so sick and he didn't know what he was doing. She slowly, quietly crept into her parents bedroom. It was dark inside.  
  
"Mom? Mom?" Josephine called out into the dark room as she searched for the light switch on the wall next to the door.  
  
When she turned on the light, Mrs. Kenndler flinched. She was sitting up in bed. "I'm sorry, mom, but you need the light. It's a beautiful day outside and you're in here, bundled up in the dark."  
  
Josephine walked to her mother and placed the bowl of soup on the small tray that she set up on her mother's lap. Her mother looked just as horrible as her father. Her face was pale and her neck was swollen, although, not as much as Mr. Kenndler's. She was also coughing horribly. It was a disgusting, phlegmy cough that made Josephine flinch every time she heard it.  
  
Josephine knew the inevitable. Her parents were dying. She would never admit to it, but deep inside, there was a little voice that just screamed out the obvious.  
  
Her mother quickly grabbed the bowl and began to eat it wildly, very much unlike Mr. Kenndler. Perhaps it was because he was far more ill than she was.  
  
Josephine sighed and walked to the door.  
  
"Thank you." Mrs. Kenndler said in a quiet, raspy voice  
  
Josephine turned around in shock. Her mother didn't really speak much the past day or two, and besides, her mother rarely said thank you to her daughter and always caused problems with her.  
  
"You're welcome." Josephine said slowly as she walked out the door and back into the kitchen to go get herself a bowl now.  
  
As Josephine walked into the kitchen, she saw her sister, Kimmy, sitting at the table with her head down, resting on her arms which were on the table. She was completely still.  
  
Josephine paused. "Kimmy?" she said softly. No answer. Josephine slowly walked to her sister, barely even making the floor creak. "Kimmy?" she said again, this time a little more nervous.  
  
Just before Josephine touched Kimmy's shoulder, Kimmy looked up and turned around to stare at Josephine. Josephine jumped back, startled, but was relieved to see her sister wasn't hurt or, what she thought, dead.  
  
"Joey, I don't feel very well. My throat hurts." Kimmy said. The child looked nearly just as bad as her parents, except her neck wasn't as horrible looking and at least she was able to walk around without any help.  
  
"Why are you down here?" Josephine questioned. "I thought you were sleeping?"  
  
"I was, but there was a man in my room. A dark man. I told him I was sick, but he just stood there and smiled at me. So I came down here. Maybe you can make him go away." Kimmy said as if what she was talking about was a simple everyday matter, like a friend coming over to play.  
  
Josephine stood there in horror. "Kimmy, there's a man in your room?" she said with wide eyes. Kimmy just nodded her head. "You're going to show me where he is, OK?" Kimmy nodded her head again.  
  
Josephine grabbed a large wooden bat that sat in the corner of the kitchen, just in case of such an emergency, and she took Kimmy's hand. They walked up the stairs together. Josephine checked every room except Kimmy's, of which the door was only opened a few inches. There was no one in any of the other rooms.  
  
Josephine slowly opened Kimmy's bedroom door and to her relief, found nothing. There was no one, no man, no 'dark man' in her room. But strangely, Kimmy's bedroom window was wide open. Someone could easily come in through the window. Josephine poked her head out the window only to realize that no one could come in that way because they were on the second floor.  
  
"Kimmy, did you open this window?" Josephine asked as she pulled her head back in and looked at Kimmy.  
  
"No, Joey. I didn't even know it was open." Kimmy said with a shrug.  
  
Josephine stuck her head back out the window, looking for anyone. She saw no one. She suddenly felt like someone was watching her and she looked up only to see, on her neighbor's roof, a crow. She glared at the bird. The bird glared at her.  
  
"Get the hell outta here!" Josephine yelled at the bird, not even expecting the bird to flinch. But it did, it flew away.  
  
Josephine thought it to be weird, but thought nothing of it afterward. Josephine closed the window and tucked Kimmy back in.  
  
"OK, you look very sleepy Kimmy. And you need your sleep if your going to get any better." Josephine said as she pulled the sheet up to the child's neck. But Josephine had a sinking feeling that no one was going to get any better, that things would get much worse before any good would come along.  
  
Josephine walked down the stairs and back into the kitchen only to find that the pot of soup had fallen to the floor and soup was everywhere.  
  
"Damnit!"

* * *

Josephine crawled into bed that night very afraid to go to sleep. The past few nights she was having dreams of the old black woman but every time she would always see him, as well, whoever he was. She never saw his face, but she knew who he was. He some dark force that encompassed all the nightmares of the world.  
  
Josephine turned on her side to face the door, which was open and she could see all the way down her hallway. She was just on the brink of sleep when a figure appeared at the top of the steps, just at the end of the hallway. Josephine wasn't even fully aware that a person was there until she got a good look at the burning red eyes that seemes to sear her own when she looked at them. She gasped once and blinked her eyes. The figure was gone.  
  
Josephine was shaking badly that night when she fell completely asleep, which was around 3:00 or 3:30 a.m.

* * *

Josephine was once more walking around in a big cornfield that seemed to go on forever. She walked around for a while and was getting scared when she couldn't find the house or the old woman. Then, out in the distance, she heard the guitar and the sweet sound of song.  
  
Josephine felt something behind her and then, without turning around to see who it was (since she already had her feelings), she ran towards the music. Whe she came to the house, she sighed and smiled in relief.  
  
The woman was sitting on the porch again, guitar in hand, singing some kind of religious hymn. Josephine didn't believe in God, though, so it didn't really have much of an effect on her.  
  
"H-hello, Mother Abigail." Josephine said shakily as she walked to the end of the porch.  
  
"Why, hello there, child. Nice to see you 'gain." Mother Abigail said as she stopped singing and playing the guitar.  
  
"I have a question..." Josephine said slowly, not knowing if it was proper to just come out and say it.  
  
Mother Abigail looked at her with such great interest. "Well, what's on you mind, child?"  
  
"What's happening to the world? Why is this happening?"  
  
"I don't know, Josephine, but if I did, I would certainly tell ya. This is God's will, and I got no control over it."  
  
"God's will?!?" Josephine said as she raised her voice a little.  
  
"Yes, sugar."  
  
"How can God do this?!? If these are HIS people, why is he killing them off like they're nothing but desposable bugs?" Josephine was gaining a certain amount of sarcasm with the woman. She was beginning to loathe the God she didn't even believe in.  
  
Mother Abigail pursed her lips a little, as if she knew something, something deeper than any understanding, but wasn't allowed to tell Josephine. "God wasn't the one who created this sickness, baby."  
  
"Then who? The Devil?" Josephine laughed.  
  
"The government." Mother Abigail whispered.  
  
Josephine immediately stopped laughing and her jaw dropped. It suddenly all made sense. She took a step back, the another, and another.  
  
"You come see me Josephine Kenndler! You come see me and bring along who you can! Don't let the dark man get you!" Mother Abigail called out as Josephine disappeared into the corn.  
  
"The dark man?" Josephine whispered to herself. "Where have I heard that before?" Then it hit her. Only hours before had her sister mentioned this 'dark man'.  
  
Josephine didn't know what to think she was so terrified so she ran and ran and ran until she was out of breath, but now that she was deep in the corn, she felt that presence again. It was a feeling that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and a chill run down her spine.  
  
The voice was soft at first and as she walked deeper into the corn it got louder and it seemed to come from everywhere yet no where all at once.  
  
"Josephine. Josephine, I know you hear me." It was a male's voice and it seemed so soft and seductive.  
  
Josephine swallowed hard. She didn't want to come face to face with whatever was talking to her and she knew she would if she continued on in this dream. She was at a loss of what to do when she simply began to pinch her arm. She looked up and saw something moving through the corn towards her.  
  
"Josephine."  
  
She continued to pinch her arm until she was almost bleeding. "Oh my God." she said anxiously. "I'm gonna die in my sleep!"

* * *

Before she saw whatever was coming towards her, she woke up. She was breathing heavily and she was soaked in sweat. She looked at her door and it was closed, but she never remembered closing it. She figured she was just sleep walking.  
  
She looked at the clock. It was about 6:00 a.m. and then sun would soon be peaking over the horizon.  
  
She laid there and stared at the ceiling for nearly an hour. Just before she finally fell back asleep, she glanced out the window and to her relief, there was no crow in sight... and no dark man.  
  
But she was still scared. She would soon have to get up and take care of her family and face the world that was not being terrified by a tyrannical, unfair leader, but by the two groups of people that were supposed to protect and serve and defend: the army and police.  
  
Too bad they were too caught up in rioters rather than seeing the real storm that was slowly coming over the horizon...

* * *

Author's Note: Please tell me if this chapter needs to be corrected anymore! 


	4. June 24, 26, 27 The End

Author's Note: Well, here's the next chapter. I just felt so bad that I hadn't updated in a while, so I decided to make another update as soon as I could. And this is pretty damn soon, if you ask me. And please, if you spot any spelling, grammer, or punctuation mistakes, let me know so they can be corrected. :-)  
  
And thanks to those who reviewed. You make me oh so happy!  
  
By the way, this is my favorite chapter so far...

* * *

Chapter 4: June 24, 26, 27- The End  
  
Josephine sat there in the middle of her living room. Her legs were pulled up to her chest and her head was buried in her knees. There was nothing surrounding her but silence. Horrible, horrible silence.  
  
There was no electricity. There were no doctors. There were no cars. There were no gun shots. There were no police. There was no army. There was no 'help'.  
  
There were no people. Just silence.  
  
Josephine had never known the real meaning of being alone, lonely, until now. It was always just a fleeting thought that she never had to deal with because it was never supposed to happen. But now it has and now there was, as far as she was concerned, no one.

* * *

Her father had died on the afternoon of the 24th. Josephine had realized that he wasn't getting any better, that her undefeated chicken soup was doing nothing to bring her father back to his original, good health. She would never admit that to anyone, though.  
  
The sun was shining that afternoon and for days all the curtains had been closed, letting no light in. The windows were opened, yes, but due to the curtains always being closed no fresh air got inside. So the entire downstairs smelled musty and old. It was making Josephine sick so that afternoon she opened the curtains and the light just spilled into the room and made it seem a little less like... death.  
  
Josephine wandered over to her father to see if he wanted something to eat or drink. He hadn't bothered her for anything for a while and she thought it strange that they hadn't had some kind of quarrel by now. For a moment, she believed that it was because she was too busy taking care of her sister and mother, who were getting much worse.  
  
Mr. Kenndler was on his side, he was facing the back of the couch. He wasn't moving, not even to breathe, with which he had been struggling lately.  
  
Josephine thought nothing of it as she shook he father's shoulder. When he didn't move, though, Josephine got scared. She swallowed hard and slowly shook him again. Nothing. No movement.  
  
"D-dad?" Josephine whispered softly as scared tears welled up in her eyes. Still, there was nothing. "Please wake up." she whispered again. She knew what had happened.  
  
She shook him one last time and this time he slumped onto his back. His neck was enlarged and purple, his face pale, but bloated. His eyes were dead and cold.  
  
Josephine had never screamed so loud in her life.

* * *

Her mother had died in the early moring of the 26th. Josephine had never seen her death coming. She seemed to be getting better.  
  
It was about 6:00 a.m. when Josephine heard her mother yelling for her, but it was in that raspy voice.  
  
"Jospehine!"  
  
Josephine sat in bed for a moment, wondering if it was just a dream, or maybe her imagination getting the best of her. She heard it again, but this time softer.  
  
"...Josephine..."  
  
Josephine darted out of her bedroom and down the stairs, almost tripping along the way. Through the hallway she went until she came to her parents bedroom door, where she stopped abruptly. She stared at the closed door for a moment, waitng to hear her mother's raspy breathing. But there was nothing. It was similar to the nothing she had heard after her father died. She didn't know if that was ever possible, but now it was.  
  
She slowly opened the bedroom door and walked into the darkness. She flicked on the light switch, but the lights never went on. She flicked it several more times before she finally just sighed and walked in deeper, towards her mother's bed. The electricity never went on again after that.  
  
"Mom, you called?" Josephine said as she grabbed the candle that sat on the bed stand and lit it with the lighter that was in one of the drawers. She kept a candle in each room since there had been problems with the electricity lately.  
  
Josephine held the candle to her mother's face only to find that it was just like her father's. Just as pale. Just as bloated. Just as dead.  
  
Josephine blew out the candle and slowly put it down on the bed stand. Then she burst into tears.

* * *

And now the 27th had rolled around and she was all that was left of the Kenndler family. Or so she thought. She was too afraid to go into her sister's room. She didn't want to see her sister the same way she saw her parents.  
  
Kimmy had been getting more and more ill and Josephine would check up on her every once in a while. The 27th was the one day Josephine never went upstairs. And Kimmy never came downstairs. Josephine sat in the middle of her living room, surrounded by silence and the rotting stench of death.  
  
She still hadn't gone outside. She couldn't. The news and radio stations, well, before they had been shut down by the army, were saying that the epidemic had spread throughout the U.S. and everyone was dying, but the government was still hiding the notion that the bug even existed. They said that if anyone even tried to leave, they'd be shot and killed on sight.  
  
Josephine didn't want to die. But then again, she was expecting it. She believed she would get the superflu and die just like everyone else in Cleveland, or Ohio for that matter.  
  
Josephine's head was still on her knees when she heard something from up above. It sounded like movement, or walking, but it was just barely audible and very slow. But in complete silence, you'd be surprised what you can hear.  
  
Josephine looked up with wild, alarmed blue green eyes. Her face was pale and thin, her red hair unbrushed, and an infinite amount of tear streaks down her face. When she looked up, you could see wet patches on the knees of her blue jeans from where her tears had stained them.  
  
The noise moved slowly out of one of the upstairs rooms and towards the stairs. Josephine grabbed the wooden bat that had been resting next to her. She kept it with her at all times because a few days ago she heard her neighbor's home being broken into. She stood up and walked to the foot of the steps.  
  
She wasn't scared anymore. If she was going to die, it might as well be a glorious death. Ah yes, Josephine Kenndler died today while fending off a vicious man who planned to rob her home. He walked down the steps, Ms. Kenndler's precious valuables in hand, leading to the first floor of the house but Ms. Kenndler stood there waiting for him with a wooden bat. He tried to get away but Ms. Kenndler chased him down. She laid the smackdown on him but sadly, after doing so, he whipped out a small knife and stabbed Ms. Kenndler several times in the abdomen. She died shortly after. But to this day, Ms. Josephine Kenndler will be recognized as a hero, not the petty theif who, ironically, probably stole from the man who stole from her.  
  
Josephine smirked at her own unrealisitc daydream.  
  
As the uknown person reached the top of the steps, she forced herself into the batting position, ready to kick some ass.  
  
At the top of the steps stood Kimmy. "J-Joey, I'm not feeling so well." She took three steps down the stairs before collapsing and tumbling the rest of the way. This was so abrupt and sudden that Josephine didn't even have time to react and just barely enough time to catch her before she hit the bottom floor.  
  
Kimmy looked devestatingly horrible. Her blue green eyes looked glassy and gave off this I-don't-know-where-I-am look. Her face was deathly pale and her neck was swollen. Her brown hair was somewhat knotty.  
  
As she laid there she began to cough violently. Josephine, scared out of her mind, turned Kimmy onto her side so the child wouldn't choke on whatever it was that she was trying to cough up.  
  
"Kimmy, just cough it up. Cough it up. You'll feel better when you do." Josephine said as she started to cry. There was no one here to help her sister.  
  
"I-I can't." Kimmy whispered.  
  
Then Kimmy looked up at Josephine in a way she had never seen before. "Don't let him get you, Joey. Dont let him."  
  
"Who, Kimmy? Dont let who get me?" Josephine said. She was scared of Kimmy's answer, but knew what was to come.  
  
Kimmy grabbed the front of Josephine's purple tank top. "The dark man..."  
  
She said it with such fear that it made Josephine's eyes go wide and she started to shake. That wasn't the only reason. Kimmy had mentioned this 'dark man' before when she told Josephine about the man in her room and Josephine had dreamed about it.  
  
Kimmy's eyes slowly closed and her grip on Josephine's shirt loosened. Kimmy Kenndler had died.  
  
Josephine sat there, with the dead girl in her arms, for nearly fifteen minutes before she screamed in anger, pain, and sorrow. She then burst into tears. The one family member that she truly loved. The one family member that she was so protective over, was gone.  
  
Josephine was now the last surviving Kenndler.

* * *

Author's Note: I really love this chapter and I enjoyed writing it. Please review!! 


	5. June 27, 29, 30 She Was On Her Own

Author's Note: Chapter five, people. Welcome to chapter five. Now that everyone's pretty much dead in my story, the good stuff shall begin... hehe. And this chapter will be long, so enjoy.  
  
Many thank you's to my reviewers. You're all invited to my house for a cookout! Lol.  
  
And sorry to MorbidMan. Slow updates are annoying, I know.

* * *

Chapter 5: June 27, 29, 30- She Was On Her Own  
  
Josephine didn't understand. She didn't know why she wasn't dead, or at least sick. She didn't even have the sniffles or a cold. She was feeling perfectly fine, in fact, better than ever. She always hated being sick or getting a cold, but now she wished she was dead. She was completely, totally, and utterly alone. And that was far more horrible than getting Captain Trips.

* * *

Her entire family was dead by mid-day of the 27th, so she spent the rest of that day burying her family in the backyard.  
  
She grabbed three white sheets from the closet near her parents bedroom and wrapped her parents and sister in them. Not a tear fell. Perhaps that was because she was too busy trying to stop herself from getting sick. The stench was not at all pleasant.  
  
She then dug three large holes in the center of her backyard and placed a body of one of her family members in each one. It was a difficult task, but by 9:00 that night the bodies were completely buried.  
  
Josephine placed a picture of her and Kimmy on Kimmy's grave. The picture had been taken several months earlier, in April. In the picture, the sun was shining and Josephine could be seen in the backyard with Kimmy, pushing her on a swing. Both girls were smiling at the camera.  
  
Josephine stared at the picture on the mound and went back inside. She cried herself to sleep that night, although sleep hadn't really been a friend of hers lately.

* * *

And now that it was the 29th, there was almost nothing left of the world Josephine knew 2 weeks earlier. Everything that she had taken for granted her whole life was gone and now she had to fend for herself. She was on her own. It was difficult, but over time she learned to appreciate her endless freedom.  
  
It was about 5:00 a.m. on the 29th and Josephine was sitting huddled on the couch. The room was completely dark. The curtains and windows were opened and a light summer breeze drifted into the living room and swept over everything, includng Josephine. A chill crept down her back and she looked warily around the room, as if she was expecting something to jump out of hiding. She grabbed the flashlight and the bat that sat on either side of her.  
  
She was very hungry, but she didn't want to get up. For several days all she was eating were things that didn't need to be cooked or refridgerated, like cereal and bread. She was terrified to see what kind of new organism was lurking behind the refridgerator door. The power had been off for days so everything in the fridge was probably very... nasty. She had also been drinking bottled water, which her parents always had an incurable habit for buying, and she was rationing it quite well.  
  
She hadn't gotten very much sleep the past few days either. The dreams of the old woman and the dark man had haunted her to the point where she would rather stay up for days on end than spend one hour asleep. Mother Abigail continued to tell her to come and visit, but Josephine never replied in her most recent dreams. Then there would be the dark man, who would chase her and scare her to the point of tears. He would call to her, though, and tell her to help him and he would do great things for her. She would be in his 'council'.  
  
Josephine truly believed she was losing her mind. If the world wasn't so dead right now, she would have herself committed.  
  
Every once in a while she would hear a gun shot. It would usually be from out in the distance, towards the city. But she knew, by the distant thud of a gun going off, that she wasn't the only one left. That there were more people out there. And perhaps, they were just as healthy as she was. And so she never left her house, except when she would go into her backyard for a moment of silence in front of her family's, or more precisely her sister's, grave.  
  
The hours went by and soon it was 9:00 a.m. Josephine got off of the couch and into the kitchen on her search for food. As the morning sunlight hit her face, one could see how ragged it looked. It was deathly pale and her lips were chapped. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun and her eyes looked dazed. She was wearing the same clothes she had been for the past three days.  
  
She grabbed a bottle of water that she had been working on for about a day and a box of cereal from the pantry and sat back down on the couch. She could hear the birds singing and as she looked outside the living room window, she could tell the sun was shining and there was barely a cloud in the sky.  
  
It was an average day except for the fact that nearly everyone in Cleveland was dead.  
  
Josephine went to turn on the TV, but then remembered there was no electricity let alone any TV shows, considering the fact that all the TV stars were probably rotting away in their Beverly Hills homes. Josephine frowned. This no-electricity thing was really beginning to irk her.  
  
So she sat there, on her couch with a bat on one side and a flashlight on the other, alone, quiet, and annoyed.  
  
The rest of the day she was out of her mind with boredom. As the evening wore on, she lit a few candles and ate her dinner, which consisted of a slice or two of bread and some of that oh so tasty bottled water.  
  
But she couldn't stay up for much longer, so she trudged up to her room (with her trusty bat and flashlight, of course) and as she got to the door, she looked at the bed with fear, like it was going to jump up and take a bite out of her. She didn't want to sleep, but she had to. She couldn't keep what precious little sanity she had left without her sleep.  
  
So she sat on the bed, and after a minute of staring off into space, she plopped over and immediately feel asleep.  
  
But that night she had a dream. And in that dream she made a very important decision.

* * *

Once more she found herself in the cornfield, but this time everything seemed much more real. The sky was dark, not in an evil way, it was just night. There were numerous stars in the velvety black sky and Josephine smiled at how beautiful it looked. A cool night breeze swept over the corn stalks and she could hear them rustle as she walked through them. So far, this was a pleasant experience for Josephine.  
  
At first, she didn't think it was there. At firs she thought the singing and the sound of the guitar was just her imagination playing off of all the other experiences she had in the cornfield. But then she realized that it was Mother Abigail, and Josephine then began to walk towards the soothing music, like she had all the other times before.  
  
"Josephine."  
  
Josephine stopped in her tracks and looked around. It was that soft masculine whisper again. The wind picked up and seemed to linger around her, but she could still hear Mother Abigail out there somewhere.  
  
Josephine finally worked up enough courage to answer this disembodied voice, but she had her suspicions of who it belonged to. "What do you want?!" Josephine yelled to the wind.  
  
"Don't go to her, Josephine. She offers you nothing. I can give you everything."  
  
Suddenly Josephine became angry. "Don't even try that with me, buddy!" she yelled, as if repremanding a kindergardener. "Neither of you offer me anything I'm interested! I don't want anything to do with Mother Abigail's 'journey', and I sure as hell don't want any part of your 'council'! So now leave me alone!!"  
  
The wind suddenly died down and as she made her way towards Mother Abigail's singing, she heard the voice's last words, "You know where I'll be, Josephine..."  
  
"Yeah, whatever." she mumbled as she made her way out of the corn and into the backyard of Mother Abigail.  
  
And there, once again, was Mother Abigail, sitting in her rocker strumming her guitar and singing about God.  
  
Josephine walked up to her front porch, where the old woman was sitting, and she just listened to the old woman until she was done.  
  
Mother Abigail looked down at Josephine and smiled a warm, welcoming smile. "Now how you doin', child?"  
  
Josephine just stared at her. "Did you know I had to bury my entire family, Mother Abigail?" There was an eerie pause. "Did you know I had to bury my nine year-old sister and my mom and dad? Did you know that all I've been living off of lately is bottled water and bread and cereal?"  
  
Mother Abigail's smile slowly faded. It was replaced with a more sorrowful, melancholy expression. "Aw, baby, it's OK, it'll get better for ya soon. I promise."  
  
"I don't see how it could get any better, Mother."  
  
"It seems horr'ble now, I know, but soon the bad times will pass and life'll get better."  
  
Josephine just looked to the ground and slowly shook her head. "But things are going to get much worse first. I know they are." Then she looked up at Mother Abigail with such a hard look that the old woman could have sworn it suddenly got colder. "And I know something is going to happen, something big, between you and that man in the corn." Josephine began as she pointed behind her into the field of corn. "And I want no part of it. If you two, or the people you two gather, are going to duke it out, then do so without me."  
  
Mother Abigail looked at her and sighed a little, as if the teenager didn't quite understand the extent of things, which, in fact, she didn't.  
  
Josephine continued. "So I'm going to go now. And I'm going to pay my final respects to my family." She knew what she was going to do.  
  
Mother Abigail continued to look at her, not with hatred or anger, but with sympathy, saddness, and regret.  
  
Josephine looked at Mother Abigail awkwardly and nodded her head, it was her goodbye. She then turned around and walked back into the corn.

* * *

And with that, she woke up. It was 8:00 a.m. on the 30th of June.  
  
Josephine never heard Mother Abigail calling out to her that morning and she felt a sense of loss over it. But she didn't believe in God, so why should she care?  
  
Josephine now knew what she had, or at least wanted, to do. She would pay her last respects to her family and then she would leave. She couldn't stay cooped up in the old house forever.

* * *

All that morning, until about 10:00 a.m., she was getting ready to leave.  
  
First she got changed. She got into a pair of jeans and the top she bought from the store only days earlier. She put her hair in that infamous ponytail. And just with that, she suddenly looked a little less dead. She then grabbed an old bookbag of hers and filled it with clothes. Shorts, T- shirts, pants, undergarments. It was as if she was getting ready for one big slumber party. She then grabbed one more bag that once held her gym clothes when she was in school. Not to mention she grabbed a sleeping bag, which was connected to the top of her bookbag.  
  
She then went into the kitchen. She took the second bag and filled it with food and water. She grabbed cereal, bread, cans of other foods, and of course, her bottled water. Her old gym bag was completely filled, almost to the point where she couldn't carry it.  
  
She then went on the hunt for other little odds and ends that she would need, like matches (and a lighter). Then, of course, she grabbed her flashlight and A LOT of extra batteries. She never went for the baseball bat, though. Instead she went into her basement and grabbed the gun her father had hidden under the steps. She wanted to smack herself for not thinking to use it earlier.  
  
Josephine knew it was there because about a year earlier Kimmy had been exploring in the basment when she accidently came across the gun. Josephine was babysitting her at the time and Kimmy ran upstairs to her with then gun to show it to her. Josephine never knew her parents had then gun and then she made Kimmy put it back right where she had found it and made her promise she wouldn't tell her parents about it.  
  
So now Josephine had the gun and all the extra bullets.  
  
Josephine was ready. As she stepped out the back door, she looked at her watch. It was 10:00 a.m. She went to her family's graves and stood over them for a minute.  
  
"Well, mom and dad," she said as she looked disdainfully at her parents graves. "you never really did a good job of taking care of me and now that I've learned how to do it myself, it's come in handy."  
  
She then moved to her sister's grave and she wiped a tear off of her cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you Kimmy." Josephine put her head down for a moment. "It was my fault. I am so sorry. ...But now I have to go. Where to, I'm not so sure." Josephine was silent for a moment before she swipped the picture off of Kimmy's grave. She quickly put it in her pocket. She needed to have SOME kind of memory of her sister, and if that was going to be just a simple picture, then so be it.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kimmy." she mumbled as she picked up her bags and walked down the driveway and into the real, and dead, world.  
  
It was a place she hadn't seen in days, a place that was now filled with the dead. And she was venturing, willingly, into it, ignoring the agenda of Mother Abigail and the dark man.  
  
And she was completely alone, completely on her own.

* * *

Author's Note: Please review. 


	6. June 30 Davey

Author's Note: Please review. They make me happy and they motivate me!!

* * *

Chapter 6: June 30- Davey  
  
Josephine walked around abandoned Cleveland for hours. She would glace at her map every now and then when she would get confused, which wasn't as often as one would think.  
  
Then it finally hit her with all the force of an atomic bomb: everyone was dead.  
  
Everyone. Mothers. Fathers. Children. Babies. Teenagers. Grandparents. Aunts. Uncles. All dead.  
  
The news stations were right. It spread from the south and everyone was dead within days of contracting the disease. People's bodies were lying on their porch as they went outside to get mail. Or their bodies were lying lifeless in their cars, which had crashed or were simply stopped in the middle of the roadway. People had gone on about their lives thinking they would get over it and everything would be OK. And within days everything was OK, everything was better, their pain ended now that they were gone.  
  
Most people, though, had retreated to their homes and stayed there in bed until their final breath, which was probably choked and painful.  
  
The army and police were dead, too. Their bodies could be found near city exits and near bridges and tunnels. They died following the orders of the also-now-dead-government who just wanted to make their mistake disappear. They believed if they pretended nothing happened, then the problem would just go away. To the government, the army was just a band-aid that would heal the wound.  
  
But the real battle is only beginning.

* * *

"HELLO!?!?" Josephine yelled down the empty, body-riddled streets. She was furious with this 'God' that everyone knew and loved. She was furious with him for bumping off an entire civilization, despite what Mother Abigail said. But how could Josephine be mad at a God she didn't even believe in?  
  
It was June 30th, the day she had left home. It was now about 3 in the afternoon.  
  
"CAN ANYONE HEAR ME!?" Her voice echoed down the streets but was then swallowed up in silence.  
  
Then she heard a gun shot out in the distance. Josephine had heard them all day. She knew there were more people, but she was just hoping she would find someone who wasn't insane or wasn't going to gun her down.  
  
She gulped loudly and quickened her pace down the middle of the street.

* * *

When she entered the store, she was grinning frome ear to ear. It had been the first time in days that she had actually, truly smiled.  
  
She had walked into the store that had the boots she had been looking at when she past by the line of stores on the 20th. The boots were still in the window.  
  
She walked around for a bit, looking at everything. This store was one of the most expensive in Cleveland. Only the rich even dared to look through the window.  
  
Josephine grabbed the black combat boots that were in her size and she then continued her search for some other nice clothes. She found a very nice pair of pale green pants and a lovely black tank top to go with it. Then she darted off to the dressing room.  
  
Near the dressing room doors she saw a woman's body lying next to a rack of clothes. Josephine paused and stared at her with sympathy. She assumed the woman must've worked there or something considering that she was the only other body in the store. But something was strange about her...  
  
Josephine thought for a moment that she heard crying, but then she walked into the dressing room with her items without a second thought.

* * *

Josephine admired herself in the mirror. The pants, top, and boots fit her nicely. She left her other clothes in a pile on the ground as she picked up her bags and walked out of the dressing room.  
  
She walked around the store a little bit longer, picking up that shirt and those pants, these socks and that hat. She stopped dead in her tracks, though, when she heard the crying again. It was coming from the 'Employees Only' room.  
  
Josephine crept slowly to the door and opened it. As she peered inside she saw a young boy. He was no older than 10. Near Kimmy's age. He had black shaggy hair and blue jeans with a dark green top on. Josephine couldn't see his face because he was in the corner of the room with his head on his knees, sobbing.  
  
Josephine walked into the room, eyes wide. She was so happy to see someone else, even if it was only a child.  
  
"H-hello?" Josephine said softly, so as not to scare the boy.  
  
The immediately stopped crying and looked up at Josephine. He stood up and then ran around the other side of a near by table. "Git away from me!" he cried out. His face was pale and he had circles under his eyes. Not to mention his eyes, which seemed lonely and scared, were a dark green, similar to his shirt.  
  
"Wait! No!" Josephine cried out as she reached out for him. "I'm not here to hurt you! I'm just looking for other people!" she said sympathetically. She was actually there to steal the clothes, although, it technically wasn't stealing anymore...  
  
"No! You hurt my mommy!"  
  
"No! I didn't!" Josephine was suddenly confused. Someone hurt the boy's mother? Didn't she get the disease, like everyone else?  
  
"And now you're gonna hurt me! Git away from me!"  
  
"No, please! I didn't hurt your mom and I won't hurt you! I'd never hurt you!"  
  
The boy looked at her suspiciously and then slowly walked towards Josephine. "Promise?" he whispered.  
  
Josephine looked at him and then smiled kindly. "Promise."

* * *

Josephine held the boy's hand as they walked over to the woman's body that Josephine had seen earlier in the store. She gained the boy's trust after consoling him and then giving him some of her food.  
  
"That's my mommy." the boy whispered. He sniffled for a moment.  
  
Josephine suddenly realized what was so strange about the woman's body. She didn't look like she died from getting Captain Trips. She looked perfectly normal, but there was a small pool of blood around the woman's head.  
  
The woman had been lying on her back and staring blankly up into nothing. She had pretty black hair, like the boy's, whose name Josephine found out was Davey. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.  
  
Josephine was curious, yet disgusted by the scene, but she wanted to know how the woman died. She flipped the woman over and saw that someone had hit her in the back of the head with some kind of blunt object. Josephine quickly backed away from the body. Davey just stared with sorrow in his eyes.  
  
"W-what happened here?" Josephine asked Davey.  
  
Davey sighed and then looked up at Josephine. "Mommy and I didn't git sick like everyone else. After daddy died, we came here. Mommy wanted to git some nice clothes then she promised we would go off to the store for me."  
  
"Does she own this place? Does she work here?"  
  
"No, but she comes in here lotsa times. It's her favorite store. After a while a man came in here. Mommy saw him and told me to hide. I hide over there." Davey then pointed to a large rack of clothes. He must've hid in it. "I didn't see what happened then, but I heard mommy scream. And then it was quiet. I ran as fast as I could into the room where you found me and I never came out."  
  
Josephine knelt down and gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry, Davey." she whispered. "Ya know what, let's go. We don't want anyone else finding us then."

* * *

Josephine and Davey walked the streets cautiously. Davey rarely, if ever, let go of Josehpine's hand. He was so fragile and afraid. When he would hear a gun shot, his eyes would get wide and he'd look up at Josephine, who would then reassure him.  
  
It was about 5 or 5:30 in the afternoon when they finally came to Josephine's... therapy place. It took so long to get there because they kept stopping everywhere looking for people, but all they ever found was dead bodies.  
  
Josephine stood in front of the building and paused for a moment. "Can we go in here for a minute, Davey? Would you mind?" Josephine asked Davey without looking at him. She didn't want to drag the poor boy into somewhere he didn't want to be.  
  
"Kay, Joey." he said with a small smile. He didn't exactly answer her question, but she knew what he meant.  
  
He didn't know what was in the building, but he knew it had something to do with his new friend, Joey.  
  
Josephine's grip on the boy's hand tightened for a moment before the two ventured into the building.

* * *

Author's Note: I dunno, for some reason this chapter seems waay shorter than my other ones. Oh well, I still think this one is pretty good. Do you? So please review. And I'm sorry if this story seems overly and nauseatingly sad, but this IS a piece of fiction based off of a (and my favorite) Stephen King novel so... And it might get worse, but trust me, the ending is perfect... 


	7. June 30 The Thirteenth Floor

Author's Note: I'm very sorry this is kinda late, but I had some serious writer's block with this one... Not to mention I was having some trouble uploading whatnot to But here's another chapter brought to you by HappyBunny1. And if you can, please review. :-)

And sorry for the shittiness of the last chapter. My complete appologies.

()

Chapter 7:

June 30- The Thirteenth Floor

Josephine and Davey walked into the building, hand in hand. Josephine didn't know what to expect, but she knew something was very wrong there. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. It made the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end. A chill went down her spine.

She got the strange feeling that she and Davey weren't the only ones in the building.

But Josephine didn't even know why she went into the building in the first place. Was it for some kind of closure? Maybe.

Josephine and Davey saw some bodies, not many though. A security guard's body was found on the floor near the exit. And a young man's body, probably of someone who worked there, was drapped over a bench near the elevator.

But there was something very, very wrong there. Very, very wrong.

()

Josephine found some snack and candy machines near a flight of stairs. She dug into her pocket for some change, but then remembered that there was no one here to stop her from taking whatever she wanted.

Josephine put her bags down and then tried to kick in what she thought was the pane of glass that covered the candy, but to her complete dismay she found (the hard way) that the cover was actually plastic. She fell to the ground with a grunt.

Davey looked at her, horrified. "What are you doing, Joey!" he said as she stood up. "That's stealing! What if we get caught?! My mommy said that stealing things is wrong and--"

"Davey," Josephine began as she sighed and looked down at the frightened boy, "look around. What people are going to be mad at us when there's no 'what people' to begin with?"

Josephine picked up her bags and she and Davey continued walking. They took a flight of stairs leading to the upper floors. Davey didn't know where they were going, but he trusted Josephine.

"And besides, Davey, we're on our own now. I know there are more people out there, but this is survival of the fittest." Josephine said. "And I'm going to make sure we survive this."

Davey simply nodded.

()

Everything was quite on the thirteenth floor. Jospephine and Davey wandered around the isles and rows of offices that she knew so well, that she had seen so many times before.

There were a few dead paper-pushers here and there, poor saps who were so committed to being that perfectionist workaholic that they didn't stay at home with family or friends while they were sick so they just croaked in their office. Josephine thought it was rather... sad.

Josephine stopped abruptly when she came to a door with a large opaque window with MRS. NANCY ANDREWS printed in bold black lettering. Josephine smiled sadly at the name, remembering all the people who sat in this office. People like Hector, and Wendy, and Mr. Dougly. People who didn't deserve the probably-horrible death they went through.

Davey saw Josephine's face and tugged on her hand, which he was still holding. "Whatsa matter?" he said with a confused look.

Josephine looked at him and shook her head. "Nothing, Davey."

"Did you know that lady?"

"A little..."

Josephine took the handle of the door and, expecting it to be locked, she twisted the handle. The very second the door opened, she regretted coming into the building completely.

()

Jack stood there in the middle of Mrs. Andrews office with a gun to his head. He just stared at Josephine and Davey.

Josephine was shocked that he, the spoiled, greedy, arrogant Jack from therapy was still alive.

"I said get the fuck outta here."

The minute Josephine and Davey walked into the room, Jack whipped around to look at them and from then on he rambled (for about a good ten minutes or so) about the things he went through... saw... heard. And then he started telling them to get out.

Josephine was still in a daze.

"Are you some kind of fucking deaf moron, Kenndler? Get out!"

On any given day, Josephine would've walked right up to him and slapped him silly for saying that. But today was different. Today, Josephine had a kid to think about.... and a gun to Jack's head that she had to keep in mind.

"Jack, please put the gun down. Please." Josephine let go of Davey's hand, who stood there in stupified terror, and she brought her hands up and motioned for Jack to drop the gun.

"Do you have any idea what I've been through? Seen? No, you don't. I'm better off dead than wandering around this fucked up place." he said sarcastically.

"Jack, I understand what you're--"

"No, you don't! You have NO fucking clue!"

"Please, Jack, you can come with us."

"Yeah, uh huh, and do what, little missy? Wander around the fucking country side, looking for 'survivor's' and 'a cure'. Well screw that!"

Jack walked to the big glass window that sat in place of a wall on the left side of the room. He looked out the window and into the distance. He could see smoke in the distance, burning buildings, he supposed, and abandoned cars everywhere along with the scattered dead bodies, of which looked like ants from the thirteenth floor.

The gun was still to his head.

A tear ran down Josephine's cheek. She sniffed.

Jack slowly turned around. "Why are you crying?" he said softly but suspiciously.

"Because you don't have to do this, Jack."

Jack laughed. "Oh puh-lease. You and the kid want it after me ,sweetheart? 'Cause there's no real reason to suffer the way this world is gonna suffer. We have no electricity, no running water, nothing. We are incredibly fucked."

Josephine suddenly found herself looking around the room, and from the corner of her eye she saw Jack turn back around to face the window. But Josephine completely forgot about that when she saw the body of Mrs. Andrews slouched over in her chair. Her neck was freakin' huge and almost looked bruised, while the rest of her face was pale. The woman's brown eyes stared up into nothingness. They seemed to focus on something that wasn't there, something that was beyond Josephine's vision.

Josephine walked over to the body and sniffed again. She slowly laid her hands over the woman's eyes and closed them. She never liked Mrs. Andrews, but Mrs. Andrews never really did anything wrong.

"Ja--"

The gun shot was louder than anything she had ever heard in her life. Then again, she had never heard a gun shot so close before.

Josephine quickly looked up, her eyes were like a deer's in headlights. She turned around to see Jack's body fall to the floor.

And when Josephine turned, she turned around slowly, knowing that taking her time was ok because he was already dead. She looked at his body and started sobbing. She knew it was her fault. She knew she could've been a better negotiator than that. A pool of blood was already beginning to form around his head.

Then she remembered Davey.

She looked over at him, tears still in her eyes. Davey was mortified, to say the least

"Davey--I'm so sorry." Josephine reached her hand out for him, but he began to back away until he hit then door. Then he ran out, his little legs carrying him as fast as they could.

Jospehine took one last look at Jack and Mrs. Andrews again before darting off after Davey.

She knew there was something wrong with this place. And next time her intuition nagged her, she would listen.

()

Author's Note: Sad. Really sad. And not in the pathetic way, but in the oh-my-God-I'm-gonna-cry way. Yeah, please review. Tell me if this chapter's better than the last.


	8. June 30 Alone Again

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews. I never really expected to get so many!! Much love to all.

()

Chapter 8:

June 30- Alone Again

Josephine tried to follow Davey, but he had a good head start and he was just too damn fast. Josephine couldn't keep up for long and soon she lost him within all the cubicles.

"Davey!" she called out to the stifling air. "Davey, come back!" She was almost on the verge of tears. The tough, stubborn, cold Josephine Kenndler was about to cry... again. She found herself doing that a lot lately. "...Please don't leave me here..." she whispered to herself and all the dead bodies around her.

()

Josephine, knowing full well that Davey was probably long gone, trudged out of the building. Something inside told her that she was alone again. And that thought terrified her more than anything else.

She stood there on the sidewalk and just stared out into nothing. But the sudden sparatic skwaking she heard from above her pulled her out of her daze.

She slowly looked up to see a crow sitting on a telephone line. It just stared at her, looked down on her. It almost seemed to mock her and the disheveled state she was in.

She stood there and stared at it. And her eyes held every negative human emotion possible: anger, hatred, fear, frustration, despair, confusion. The list goes on and on.

"FUCK YOU!" she screamed at the bird. It flew away as her distressed voice echoed and ricocheted off of buildings and the dead.

She collapsed to the ground and sat there for a moment. Davey was no where in sight. "Davey!" Josephine called out one last time. But there was no answer but a distant gun shot.

She knew, deep in her heart, that Davey was gone and she was never going to find him.

()

Josephine trudged around for hours after that. As she got farther from the city, to the outskirts, she noticed that there were far more cars and traffic was blocked up for miles. Everyone had been trying to get out of the city at the same time. But now she heard far less gun shots now that she was away from Cleveland.

It was around 9 p.m. and the sun was just setting over the horizon. She had to find somewhere to stay for the night. She stood in the middle of some unknown street (on top of all the cars, of course) and looked around for a place to stay. The closest place was a convenient store.

She wasn't about to walk into any ol' home. Do you have any idea how bad it must've smelled? And Josephine wasn't about it deal with dead bodies. No way.

She walked right on inside the convenient store, through the broken door. There was shattered glass all around the ground by the door, which she assumed was caused by looters and rioters, who, of course, were now dead. Much of the food that once stocked the shelves was now gone.

As the sun went farther and farther down, the shdaows grew and became more menacing.

Josephine was getting tired, too. She had to sleep. Even if it meant seeing that damned cornfield again.

She went into a back room, which she supposed was for the employees only, but it's not like she cared anymore.

She found a nice corner and dropped her bags. It was getting darker she she quickly whipped out a water bottle and some bread. That was her dinner. Things like that have been her dinner lately.

One by one the crickets came out and began their chirping. Josephine nestled down inbetween her bags and fell asleep.

()

The next thing Josephine knew, she was sitting in an office. An office that seemed eerily familiar. An office that belonged to a certain Mrs. Nancy Andrews.

Josephine looked around, confused afraid. How did she get there? And why was she even there to begin with?

Around her sat everyone: Mrs. Andrews, Mrs. Pegman, Mr. Dougly, Jack, Wendy, Hector. Everyone she had known from her therapy. They all sat there, looking at her, smiling. Their smiles were sad and melancholy, but it was like they all knew something that Josephine didn't. It was like they all finally 'got it', but she never did.

Behind their smiles was a secret. A secret of Biblical proportions.

Before Josephine even got a chance to say anything she heard something. It sounded like someone walking, someone walking towards the office, but it was too far away for Jospehine to be sure.

Josephine turned around just as a shadow reached the door. Josephine got the sudden urge that she should stop whoever it was from coming into the room. She felt that she had to protect herself from whoever was on the other side of that door.

Josephine jumped up and just before she reached the door the doorknob turned...

()

Josephine woke up in a cold sweat. Whatever it was that was in her dream, it was bad and it shouldn't have been there.

She was glad she woke up when she did.

But then she remembered how everyone was sitting there, just staring at her with their despairing smiles. That dream was very different from the ones she had in the past. There was no cornfield. There was no singing. There was no Mother Abigail. But then again, Josephine had abandoned Mother Abigail and her cause. She had also abandoned the 'dark man' and his cause.

She was just trying to survive.

Josephine slowly closed her eyes. No need to dwell on any of that. She fell asleep again and this time it was dreamless.

She would need her beauty sleep if she was to survive the end of the world. But getting sleep would be the least of her problems.

She had so much ahead of her.

()

Author's Note: Ok, a little shorter than the others, but otherwise good in my words. I have a few things planned for our little Joey. But what I really want to do is introduce her to characters from the actual book like Stu, Nick, or Fran. Anywho, things will get more exciting, really. Anywho, please review.


	9. July1 Playground

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm back in school now. What a bitch...

* * *

Chapter 9:

July 1- Playground

Josephine sat up straight and yawned and then stretched. She looked out one of the windows in the back room she was in and saw sunlight streaming through. She glanced at a clock that sat on the wall. It was nearly 11:00 a.m.

"Holy shit!" Josephine yelped as she jumped up and grabbed her bags. She didn't expect to sleep in this late. She wanted to wake up nice and early so she could get moving and get out of Cleveland as fast as she could.

She yawned a second time as she walked out the door and into the main store area. She was still in a sleepy daze as she wandered outside into the sunlight. It was a beautiful day. She sighed in discontent as she soon realized that this wasn't just some distorted, warped dream. Cars were still piled up, cities were still distroyed, people were still dead. She grunted as she remembered her family.

She was going to now try to take side streets so she wouldn't have to deal with all the car pile-ups.

* * *

She continued to walked down the street, whatever street it happened to be since she wasn't even keeping track anymore, heading away from the city. She looked around as she passed houses and cars and people. It was horrifying.

She looked to her right suddenly when something caught her eye. It was a something that Josephine Kenndler had remembered since she was Kimmy's age: the drive-in. Joesephine smiled as she saw the several huge screens that towered over the trees. There were no cars in the lot. It was totally abandoned. There was something about that that made Josephine's heart yearn for the days when everything was alright...

She hopped a fence and walked towards the small playground that sat in the middle of the all the screens, near the concession stand.

She stood in front of the swingset as soon as she reached the playground. She dropped her bags to the ground. She smiled as she sat down and began to move her legs in and out. The warm breeze hit her to and fro, depending if she was going up or down. She looked up at the sky and smiled. She wished, for just a brief moment in time, that everyone in the world could see through her eyes for just a moment and experience what she was experiencing. It was awesome.

But she was pulled out of this happyland of hers when she heard a horn. It was distant, but it was coming closer.

Her legs abruptly stopped moving and her eyes got wide, not really believing what she just heard. The random honks got closer and closer.

"Oh my God, people..." Josephine said breathlessly as she jumped off of the swing ans almost fell flat. She scooped up her bags and ran as fast as she could to the fence she just hopped. She didn't wanna miss this.

She didn't know what she would do if she did.

A black shiny truck came rolling past and Josephine began to scream. "No!! Hey, wait!"

Josephine could see a group of maybe four or five sitting in the back of the truck and about two or three in the front as she ran closer and closer. Someone in the back pointed at her and the truck slowly came to a stop.

She shook her head as she ran towards the fence and hopped it once again. She could finally thank this God for _something_.

A strong arm to her left and a dainty, feminine one to her right hoisted her up and into the back of the truck. She didn't even bother looking up at their faces. She was too out of breath to even lift her head

She finally wasn't alone anymore, though. And that's what counted. Right?

But some things aren't always what they seem.

* * *

Author's Note: Ok, I was really hoping that this chapter would be a bit longer, but I decided that since I've gotta get to work on the second chapter of my zombie fic at fictionpress, that I'll leave this chapter be. The next one will give some light on some things involving Josephine and these new people. Please review.


	10. July 1 No One Wants to be Alone

Author's Note: And I am back!! Weeee! Ok, please review.

* * *

Chapter 10-

July 1- No One Wants to be Alone

Josephine sat there, totally out of breath, but wonderfully happy. People. And not just dead people. And not just one or two people. But a whole fucking _group. Seven or eight _people. Companionship.

"So, what's your name sweetheart?"

Josephine looked up at the woman who sat across from her in the back of the truck, which was now moving again down the sidestreet. She was in her mid-30s. She was petite, but from the stoic, indifferent look on her cold face, one could definitely see both her physical and mental power. She had these striking blue eyes and long blond hair that barely hid a dangerous looking scar on the side of her face near her ear, which had at least 6 piercings. She was pretty, even in her shorts and baggy t-shirt, but didn't look like the type of woman to get into a fight with. This was probably the woman who helped her into the truck.

"I said what's your name?" the woman repeated, mildly annoyed.

"Joey." Josephine replied. She watched as the woman flicked her cigarette out of the truck and pulled another one out of a quickly-dwindling pack and lit it.

"Mmm. I'm Lisa. Ok everyone," she said with a certain air of authority to everyone else in the truck, including the people in the front, "Introduce yourselves to Joey, here." She made herself comfortable and rested one hand on her raised knee while puffing on her cigarette.

It started with the woman to Lisa's left. "Marie." she announced quietly. She had short, choppy brown hair and brown eyes with a dainty voice to accompany her dainty figure. She was even wearing a short dress with yellow sunflowers all over it. She seemed meek, like she didn't know how to defend herself. She was a crowd-follower.

"Freddy." said a bulky man maybe a little older than Lisa who sat next to Marie. This was probably the guy who helped Josephine onto the truck. He had shaggy brown hair and a white t-shirt and tattered blue jeans. But she distinctly noticed a medium sized blood stain on his right shoulder. Very suspicious. His brown eyes caught her staring at the patch of red and he quickly folded his arms and turned so she couldn't see it anymore.

"I'm Casey." said a young boy maybe a year or two older than Josephine. He was a good-looking kid. He had black shaggy hair and green eyes. He seemed kind of slouchy and scrawny. He wore a blue t-shirt and faded jeans. He was the only one to smile at Josephine.

Lisa then banged on a murky-colored sliding plastic cover that gave an ok view of those in the front. A man then opened it up. He was the driver. He glanced back with an embarrassed smirk. He had dirty red hair that was in a crew cut and cheerful blue eyes. "Oh yeah, um, Steve." He seemed to be in his late 20s, but was rather a bluky one, like Freddy.

A woman then poked her head out. "Sherry." she said. She was 30 or so and was the motherly type with brown curly hair and soft brown eyes. A little girl, no older than 8 poked her head out below the woman's. She had light brown hair and a quirky smile. "And this is my daughter, Christine." Yes, the girl did look like her mother.

And so the introductions were done.

Lisa cleared her throat. "So, why the fuck were you at a drive-in?" She puffed on her cigarette some more.

Josephine sighed. "I'm not really sure. I had been traveling... by myself for a day or two now and I just needed something better than walking among dead bodies." She wisely left out Davey.

"Mmm hmm." Lisa said like she didn't care. "Yeah, dead bodies are a pretty common thing nowadays."

Josephine looked at Lisa, disgusted. She was beginning not to like this woman. "How can just sit there and say shit like that?"

Lisa cocked an eyebrow and brought her cigarette away from her mouth. Everyone in the back of the truck had their eyes on the two women. Even those in the front opened the sliding plastic window and inch or two.

"Everyone is dead. Everyone. And you sit there with your stupid cigarette like your on a fieldtrip to the fucking zoo, like everything is peachy keen, like the world isn't ENDING. How?!?" Josephine said, enraged. She was starting the tension already and she had only been on the truck for a few minutes.

"Because it's easy. Becuase I can. And because I want to. And if there are any goddamn fucking problems with that, do keep them to yourself or get the hell off this truck." Lisa replied with a low growl.

Josephine gave an annoyed chuckle and kneeled and grabbed her stuff. She saw how the plastic window was slightly opened and she saw two sets of eyes staring through. "Stop the truck. I'm getting off." The truck began to slow down. Josephine had a certain amount of pride. And her pride and sense of rightness would not be contradicted or overruled by anyone, especially a woman with no respect for the _thousands_ of dead bodies scattered about. She seemed arrogant and almost evil.

"Wait, no!" Casey said. He looked at Josephine. "Don't go. We're trying to _pick up _stragglers, not fight with them. Please. There's no point in you going. No one wants to be alone."

Josephine looked at him and how desperate he was. There was something about him. He looked different than the others. He looked normal. Everyone else had this uncaring expression. Something was very wrong about them. They looked like regular people who had just been through this traumatizing incident, this life-altering experience, but underneath was something sublte and unspoken. But you had to search to find it. But to the untrained eye, they were just as normal as Casey. But some things aren't always what they seem.

No one wants to be alone. And she knew that Casey _was _alone.

She sat back down but the truck had almost come to a complete stop. Freddy squinted his eyes for a moment at her and then looked to the front of the truck.

"Keep going, Steve."

The truck sped up and everyone sat in silence for quite some time.

* * *

Author's Note: Yeah, there is something wrong with these people. I'll go in depth with this later. Wow, this story has really evolved since it began. This was just going to be a nice lil tale, but now I'm noticing reoccuring themes like lonliness/being alone and the belief in God. I have amazing ideas for this story and the characters in it. Especially at the end.

And yeah, I need to skip ahead a few days. I'm lingering too much on certain things.


End file.
